Genus and species: The strawberry cultivar of this invention is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa Duch.
Variety denomination: The variety denomination is ‘Portola’.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type cultivar designated as ‘Portola’, which resulted from a cross performed in 2001 between advance selections Cal 97.93-7 and Cal 97.209-1. ‘Portola’ was first fruited near Winters, Calif. in 2002, where it was selected, originally designated Cal 1.206-5, and propagated asexually by runners. Following selection and during testing the plant of this selection was designated ‘CN224’ and, later for introduction into commerce, ‘Portola’. Asexual propagules from this original source have been tested at a Watsonville strawberry research facility, an Irvine, Calif. research station, and to a limited extent in grower fields starting in 2005.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
‘Portola’ is a day-neutral (everbearing) cultivar similar to ‘Diamante’ (U.S. Plant. Pat. No. 10,435) but with higher yield and better quality fruit, better disease resistance and better flavor; it is similar to ‘Albion’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228) for fruit quality but with higher yield, and larger and lighter colored fruit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The figures depict various characteristics of the ‘Portola’ cultivar.
FIG. 1 shows the general flowering and fruiting characteristics of the plant in a field planting.
FIG. 2 shows a typical leaf at mid-season.
FIG. 3 shows a representative mid-season fruit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
‘Portola’ is typical of day-neutral strawberry cultivars and produces fruit regardless of day length when treated appropriately in arid, subtropical climates. ‘Portola’ is moderate to strong in expressing the day-neutral character, being stronger in flowering response to ‘Diamante’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,435) and Albion (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228), and more similar in flowering to ‘Fern’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,267) or ‘Irvine’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,172). The production pattern for ‘Portola’ is similar to that for ‘Albion’, although it is earlier to initiate production. ‘Portola’ fruit is of more uniform size than parent Cal 97.209.1. ‘Portola’ has firmer fruit and more evenly shaped fruit compared to Cal 97.93-7. ‘Portola’ will be of special interest for winter plantings and in summer plantings where ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’ have been successful. It is expected to perform especially well in spring and summer planting systems aimed at fall fruit production.
- Plants and foliage: Fruiting plants of ‘Portola’ are similar in morphology to ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’ although somewhat larger throughout the season; ‘Portola’ plants are similar in size to plants of ‘Aromas’ but more dense. Comparative statistics for foliar characters near mid-season are given for ‘Portola’ and the three comparison cultivars in Table 1. Individual leaflets for ‘Portola’ are similar in shape and size to the comparison cultivars. Leaves (including petioles) for ‘Portola’ are longer than those for ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’, mostly due to greater petiole length. Petioles are generally thinner than those of the comparison cultivars and tend to have heavy pubescence. The adaxial (upper) and abaxial (lower) surfaces of leaves for ‘Portola’ are similar in color to the comparison cultivars at mid season, but slightly lighter early in the season. Leaves of ‘Portola’ have similar concavity to ‘Aromas’, ‘Diamante’, and ‘Albion’.
- Disease and pest reaction: ‘Portola’ is moderately resistant to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis), Anthracnose crown rot (Colletotrichum acutatum), and Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae); it is very resistant to Phytophthora crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and common leaf spot (Ramularia tulasnei) (Table 3). When treated properly, it has tolerance to two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) equal to that for the comparison cultivars. ‘Portola’ is tolerant to strawberry viruses encountered in California.
| TABLE 1 |
| |
| Foliar and plant characteristics for ‘Portola’, ‘Aromas’, ‘Diamante’, |
| and ‘Albion’. |
| Foliar Character |
‘Aromas’ |
‘Diamante’ |
‘Albion’ |
‘Portola’ |
| |
| Plant height (mm) |
|
|
|
|
| mean |
272 |
220 |
223 |
267 |
| range |
240-300 |
190-240 |
170-290 |
240-300 |
| Plant |
| spread (mm) |
| mean |
323 |
316 |
295 |
313 |
| range |
300-360 |
265-385 |
270-315 |
295-335 |
| Midtier leaflet |
| Length (mm) |
| mean |
79 |
78 |
70 |
71 |
| range |
70-90 |
60-90 |
60-80 |
65-80 |
| Width (mm) |
| mean |
74 |
77 |
68 |
69 |
| range |
70-80 |
55-90 |
60-80 |
60-90 |
| Midtier leaf |
| Length (mm) |
| mean |
113 |
99 |
99 |
107 |
| range |
100-120 |
80-120 |
90-110 |
100-120 |
| Width (mm) |
| mean |
135 |
134 |
122 |
136 |
| range |
120-150 |
90-150 |
105-135 |
120-150 |
| Leaf components |
| Petiole |
| length (mm) |
| mean |
174 |
114 |
122 |
159 |
| range |
140-210 |
100-130 |
95-180 |
110-215 |
| Petiole |
| diameter (mm) |
| mean |
4.5 |
5.2 |
4.9 |
3.9 |
| range |
4-6 |
4-7 |
4-6 |
3-5 |
| Petiolule |
| length (mm) |
| mean |
6.6 |
5.2 |
6.7 |
7.0 |
| range |
4.3-7.5 |
4.0-7.6 |
5.0-8.0 |
5-8 |
| # leaflets/leaf |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Leaf convexity |
some flat, |
some flat, |
some flat, |
some flat, |
| |
most |
most slight |
most |
most |
| |
slight |
concave |
slight |
slight |
| |
concave |
|
concave |
concave |
| Serrations |
| number/leaf |
19.9 |
20.2 |
23.3 |
24.4 |
| range |
16-24 |
16-24 |
21-27 |
21-28 |
| shape |
rounded to |
rounded to |
semi- |
most |
| |
semi- |
semi-pointed |
pointed |
rounded, |
| |
pointed |
|
|
some |
| |
|
|
|
semi- |
| |
|
|
|
pointed |
| Leaf pubescence |
moderate |
moderate- |
moderate |
heavy |
| |
|
heavy |
| Petiole pubes- |
Moderate- |
heavy |
heavy |
heavy |
| cence density |
heavy |
| direction |
per- |
per- |
per- |
per- |
| |
pendicular |
pendicular |
pendicular |
pendicular |
| Petiole color |
5 GY 8/8 |
7.5 GY 9/4 |
5 GY 8/8 |
5 GY 8/8 |
| (Munsell) |
| Stipule |
| length (mm) |
| mean |
34.2 |
31.6 |
32.5 |
33.4 |
| range |
30-39 |
22-36 |
24-37 |
29-40 |
| Stipule color |
| core |
7.5 GY |
7.5 GY 8/7 |
5 GY 8/7 |
2.5 GY |
| |
8/7 |
|
|
8/9 |
| margins |
2.5 GY 9/3 |
5 GY 6/8 |
5 GY 6/8 |
5 GY 7/10 |
| Stolon base |
3.0 |
3.2 |
3.0 |
3.2 |
| diameter (mm) |
| Stolons per |
33.0 |
29.0 |
26.9 |
32.0 |
| nursery mother |
| plant |
| Venation |
| pattern |
pinnate |
pinnate |
pinnate |
pinnate |
| color |
2.5 GY 5/5 |
10 GY 5/5 |
2.5 GY 6/8 |
10 Y 6/7 |
| |
- Flowering, fruiting, fruit, and production characteristics: ‘Portola’ is similar to other California day-neutral cultivars (e.g., ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’) in that it will flower independently of day length, given appropriate temperature and horticultural conditions. Comparative statistics for flower and fruit characters near mid-season are given for ‘Portola’ and three other cultivars in Table 4. The primary flowers for ‘Portola’ are slightly larger than those of the ‘Aromas’ and ‘Diamante’ but smaller than those of ‘Albion’. The calyx for ‘Portola’ is distinctly larger than the corolla on primary fruit; the sepals are similar in length and shape to those of the comparison cultivars. The calyx for ‘Portola’ varies in position but is usually less reflexed than for ‘Aromas’ or ‘Diamante’, much less than that of ‘Albion’. The fruit shape for ‘Portola’ can vary but is typically a medium to short and highly symmetrical conic. It is easily distinguished by fruit shape from ‘Aromas’ (shortened and rounded conic), ‘Diamante’ (usually a flat conic) or ‘Albion’ (long conic); ‘Portola’ usually has a greater proportion of symmetrical fruit than the comparison cultivars, especially early in the fruiting season. External fruit color for ‘Portola’ is slightly lighter than ‘Aromas’ or ‘Albion’, distinctly darker than for ‘Diamante’; internal color is somewhat darker with greater red pigment than for the comparison cultivars (Table 2). Achenes vary from yellow to dark red, but are usually red, and range from even with the fruit surface to slightly indented.
‘Portola’ has been tested under a variety of cultural regimes, and optimal performance is obtained when nursery treatments and nutritional programs similar to those for ‘Albion’, ‘Diamante’, and ‘Aromas’ are used. In general, ‘Portola’ is more vigorous than the comparison cultivars and is less sensitive to low chilling. ‘Portola’ is distinctly stronger in day-neutrality than the comparison cultivars and produces greater quantities of fruit when established with spring or summer plantings of long-term cold stored plant material. ‘Portola’ retains excellent fruit quality in summer planting systems.
When treated with appropriate planting regimes, ‘Portola’ has larger fruit and produces greater individual-plant yield than any of the comparison cultivars (Table 5). ‘Portola’ has a similar production pattern to ‘Albion’ with most cultural treatments, although it is substantially more adapted to early-season winter planting. Commercial appearance ratings have been similar to or higher than those for all of the comparison cultivars, especially ‘Aromas’; these superior appearance scores translate directly into a larger fraction of marketable fruit than is produced by the comparison cultivars. Fruit for ‘Portola’ is substantially firmer than fruit from ‘Aromas’, similar in firmness to the other comparison cultivars. Subjectively, ‘Portola’ has outstanding flavor. The fruit will be exceptional for both fresh market and processing, and will be useful for home garden purposes.
| TABLE 2 |
| |
| Foliar and fruit color characteristics for ‘Portola’ |
| and three comparison cultivars. |
| Color |
|
|
|
|
| Character |
‘Aromas’ |
‘Diamante’ |
‘Albion’ |
‘Portola’ |
| |
| Leaf color |
|
|
|
|
| (CIELAB) |
| Adaxial |
| L* |
| mean |
35.1 |
34.8 |
34.7 |
34.3 |
| range |
32.7-37.7 |
32.6-36.8 |
32.8-36.7 |
31.6-35.5 |
| a* |
| mean |
−10.6 |
−10.4 |
−9.8 |
−9.8 |
| range |
−8.2-−14.0 |
−8.7-−11.9 |
−9.4-−11.3 |
−8.0-−11.5 |
| b* |
| mean |
13.8 |
13.8 |
12.8 |
13.1 |
| range |
11.2-18.1 |
12.2-16.6 |
10.7-15.6 |
11.0-15.7 |
| Munsell |
7.5 GY 4/4 |
5 GY 4/3 |
5 GY 4/3 |
5 GY 4/3 |
| Abaxial |
| L* |
| mean |
52.4 |
51.1 |
50.6 |
52.4 |
| range |
50.6-54.1 |
49.7-52.2 |
43.7-53.1 |
51.5-54.1 |
| a* |
| mean |
−11.6 |
−12.8 |
−12.4 |
−11.6 |
| range |
−10.7-−13.6 |
−11.6-−14.9 |
−8.6-−11.4 |
−10.3-−13.6 |
| b* |
| mean |
17.3 |
19.5 |
17.2 |
17.3 |
| range |
14.3-23.2 |
15.3-23.5 |
14.5-19.6 |
15.9-23.2 |
| Munsell |
10 GY 7/8 |
7.5 GY 6/8 |
7.5 GY 8/7 |
10 GY 7/8 |
| Fruit color |
| (CIELAB) |
| External |
| L* |
| mean |
34.2 |
40.8 |
36.5 |
34.3 |
| range |
31.2-38.3 |
35.5-45.4 |
32.8-40.1 |
31.4-37.2 |
| a* |
| mean |
33.9 |
36.7 |
33.3 |
35.7 |
| range |
31.5-38.6 |
35.6-40.2 |
28.3-36.2 |
31.0-39.9 |
| b* |
| mean |
14.1 |
21.2 |
17.6 |
15.9 |
| range |
9.1-16.5 |
18.8-25.7 |
12.2-24.9 |
13.4-20.6 |
| Munsell |
2.5 R 4/10 |
5 R 5/13 |
5 R 3/7 |
5 R 4/12 |
| Internal |
| L* |
| mean |
61.6 |
65.6 |
57.9 |
50.9 |
| range |
59.5-67.7 |
58.8-67.2 |
43.3-62.9 |
45.2-56.7 |
| a* |
| mean |
14.7 |
5.6 |
19.0 |
30.4 |
| range |
7.6-19.2 |
3.0-9.5 |
7.9-27.7 |
24.2-36.6 |
| b* |
| mean |
20.2 |
15.8 |
21.0 |
28.0 |
| range |
16.1-22.5 |
14.5-18.2 |
13.2-27.2 |
23.7-31.4 |
| Munsell |
5 R 6/11 |
10 R 7/9 |
7.5 R 4/11 |
7.5 R 5/13 |
| Achene color |
7.5 R 4/11 |
7.5 R 4/11 |
10 R 5/6 |
10 R 4/9 |
| Munsell |
| |
| *CIELAB is the abbreviation of the international color system known as “Commission Internationale De L'Eclairage” 1978. For recommendations concerning uniform color spaces, color difference equations, and psychometric color terms see Supplement No. 2 of CIE Publication No. 15, Paris. |
| TABLE 3 |
| |
| Disease resistance scores for ‘Portola’ and three comparison cultivars; |
| Phytophthora and Verticillium scores were obtained in evaluations con- |
| ducted in 2004-2006, Colletotrichum was evaluated in 2005-2006. |
| |
Phytophthora
|
Verticillium
|
Colletotrichum
|
| |
Resistance Score |
Resistance Score |
Resistance Score |
| Genotype |
(5 = best) |
(5 = best) |
(5 = best) |
| |
| ‘Aromas’ |
4.0 |
4.5 |
2.4 |
| ‘Diamante’ |
2.0 |
2.8 |
2.6 |
| ‘Albion’ |
4.3 |
3.8 |
3.1 |
| ‘Portola’ |
4.4 |
3.3 |
2.6 |
| |
| TABLE 4 |
| |
| Flower and fruit characters for ‘Portola’ and three comparison cultivars. |
| Character |
‘Aromas’ |
‘Diamante’ |
‘Albion’ |
‘Portola’ |
| |
| Petal number |
|
|
|
|
| mean |
5.5 |
5.4 |
5.6 |
6.8 |
| range |
5-7 |
5-6 |
5-7 |
5-8 |
| Petal shape |
| apex |
truncate to |
truncate to |
truncate to |
truncate to |
| |
slightly |
slightly |
slightly |
slightly |
| |
obtuse |
obtuse |
obtuse |
obtuse |
| base |
attenuate |
attenuate |
attenuate |
attenuate |
| margin |
entire |
entire |
entire |
entire |
| Petal length (mm) |
| mean |
10.1 |
9.2 |
9.6 |
11.1 |
| range |
8-11 |
7-13 |
8-11 |
8-13 |
| Petal width (mm) |
| mean |
11.8 |
10.6 |
9.0 |
12.4 |
| range |
10-13 |
10-13 |
7-10 |
9-14 |
| Flower position |
most even |
most even |
most |
most |
| (relative to foliage) |
some |
some |
exposed, |
exposed, |
| |
exposed |
internal |
some even |
some even |
| |
|
and exposed |
| Calyx diam. (mm) |
| mean |
31.3 |
32.0 |
37.5 |
36.0 |
| range |
28-33 |
25-41 |
31-48 |
31-42 |
| Corolla diam. (mm) |
| mean |
31.2 |
23.9 |
27.8 |
32.2 |
| range |
26-35 |
18-31 |
23-33 |
24-39 |
| Sepal length (mm) |
| mean |
12.3 |
12.1 |
14.1 |
12.5 |
| range |
8-15 |
10-15 |
11-18 |
9-15 |
| Sepal width (mm) |
| mean |
6.4 |
6.7 |
6.6 |
7.3 |
| range |
3-9 |
5-9 |
4-10 |
5-9 |
| Sepal color (Munsell) |
7.5 GY |
5 GY 5/6 |
2.5 GY |
5 GY 5/6 |
| |
6/8 |
|
6/8 |
| Pedicel length (mm) |
| mean |
172 |
140 |
218 |
225 |
| range |
112-230 |
110-165 |
180-270 |
200-240 |
| Pedicel diameter (mm) |
| mean |
4.4 |
5.3 |
3.1 |
4.3 |
| range |
4-6 |
4-6 |
2-4 |
3-6 |
| Pedicel color |
5 GY 6/8 |
5 GY 7/10 |
5 GY 6/8 |
5 GY 6/8 |
| Fruit shape |
| Fruit length (mm) |
| mean |
46.6 |
46.4 |
61.7 |
50.4 |
| range |
42-52 |
39-50 |
50-76 |
43-57 |
| Fruit width (mm) |
| mean |
39.4 |
40.7 |
46.6 |
47.7 |
| range |
37-43 |
38-46 |
37-52 |
43-54 |
| Length/width |
| ratio |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.3 |
1.1 |
| range |
1.0-1.4 |
1.0-1.2 |
1.2-1.5 |
1.0-1.2 |
| subjective |
mostly |
rounded |
most long |
Medium- |
| |
medium to |
to flat |
sym- |
short |
| |
short flat |
conic |
metrical |
sym- |
| |
conic |
|
conic |
metrical |
| |
|
|
|
conic |
| Primary/secondary |
| fruit comparison |
| size (subjective) |
60-80% |
60-80% |
60-70% |
75-85% |
| shape |
similar |
similar |
similar |
similar |
| |
shape |
shape |
shape |
shape |
| Extent/size of |
small- |
small-absent |
small- |
small- |
| hollow core |
absent |
|
medium |
medium |
| Calyx |
| position |
indented- |
even- |
even- |
even- |
| |
even with |
indented |
reflexed |
indented |
| |
neck |
| size relative to fruit |
equal or |
equal or |
equal or |
equal or |
| |
greater |
greater |
greater |
greater |
| |
than fruit |
than fruit |
than fruit |
than fruit |
| |
diameter |
diameter |
diameter |
diameter |
| Seed position |
indented- |
indented- |
indented- |
indented- |
| |
extruded |
even |
extruded |
even |
| Adherence of |
inter- |
inter- |
inter- |
inter- |
| Calyx to Fruit |
mediate |
mediate |
mediate |
mediate |
| |
Flower measurements and fruit measurements obtained May 9–Jun. 6, 2006, subjective observations obtained Jul. 31, 2006.
| TABLE 5 |
| |
| Performance ‘Portola’ and three comparison cultivars evaluated at the |
| Watsonville Research Facility in 2005-7. All plants for these trials were |
| harvested from a commercial nursery near Macdoel, CA on October |
| 15-16, and transplanted after 18-21 days supplemental storage. Fruit |
| harvest was initiated in early April and continued through the first week |
| of October. (52″ 2-row beds, 17,300 plants/acre). |
| |
|
Appearance |
Fruit |
|
| |
Yield |
Score |
Size |
| Item |
(g/plant) |
(5 = best) |
(g/fruit) |
Firmness |
| |
| ‘Aromas’ |
3,108 |
3.1 |
27.0 |
9.6 |
| ‘Diamante’ |
2,653 |
3.5 |
31.2 |
11.0 |
| ‘Albion’ |
2,461 |
3.9 |
30.5 |
11.1 |
| ‘Portola’ |
3,336 |
3.6 |
32.0 |
10.2 |
| |